Film crew hire/Bristol/Video playback
Hire a video playback operator in Bristol. Every take on the right screens, and back again in seconds.
Video playback operators for adverts, drama, brand films and events across Bristol and Bath, from the green screen studio at The Bottle Yard to a launch on stage at Bristol Beacon. They send the picture to every monitor that needs it, record and replay the takes on QTake, and stream the shoot to a client in the next room or in another country. From £334 a day, paid to the operator in full.
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK
- 150+ of them in and around Bristol and Bath
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
Photos: Here Now Films, Gordon Cowie, Tri Vo, Christian Harb and Andy Newton
The role
What a video playback operator does on your shoot
A video playback operator, or VTR, runs the pictures off the camera: wireless video to the director, the agency, the client and the focus puller, a recording of every take, and instant replay so anyone can see what was just shot. On bigger shoots they run QTake, which logs, replays and streams every take with the look applied.
It keeps people away from the camera. The client watches in comfort at video village, the director can put two takes side by side, and the crew get on with the next set-up.
In Bristol that might be an agency watching a green-screen advert in The Bottle Yard’s 5,000 sq ft green screen studio, or a brand team in a side room at Bristol Beacon watching a session on stage as it happens. Playback lets them all see the same take without crowding the camera.
- Instant replay. Any take back on the monitor in seconds, logged by scene and take.
- Everyone on the same picture. Director, agency, client and focus puller, each on their own monitor.
- Watch from anywhere. A secure stream for anyone who can’t be on set, a few seconds behind it.
- Comps and mixes on set. Overlays, split-screens and rough green-screen keys before the crew move on.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Wireless video from every camera to every monitor that needs it
- Recording and logging every take
- Instant replay on request
- Setting up and running video village
- A remote stream, if the kit allows
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- The playback kit: QTake system, monitors and transmitters, at a day rate
- A second operator or an assistant, on big multi-camera days
- A wired line at the venue, if anyone’s watching remotely
- Travel from outside Bristol, and mileage, parking and the Clean Air Zone charge where the day needs them, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in Bristol.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production: who’s the producer of record?
One question sets the price: who’s the producer of record? Book a playback operator for your own Bristol shoot, or have us take the production on, video village included.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% + 2% booking fee and insurance, on everything we book for you: crew, kit and travel.
We do
- Find, book and brief the crew, and pay them
- Book kit, travel and hotels too, if you want them
- Send the full price before anything is booked
- One person to call all day
- Employers’ liability for the crew we book, and insurance on kit we hire in
You do
- Run the shoot, or your producer does
- The plan, the schedule and the call sheet
- The location, its permission and its public liability
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
What the 2% insures: employers’ liability for every crew member we book, and the kit we hire in for you. Nothing else on the shoot. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
15% + 5% production fee, plus insurance and contingency, on the whole production budget. Quoted as a production.
We do
- Our producer plans it with you and runs the day
- Locations, permits, kit, studio, travel and hotels, booked and paid in our name
- Insurance for the whole shoot, public liability included, plus the risk assessment and the call sheet
- One contract and one invoice, so overseas teams need no UK company
You do
- The creative calls
- Signing off the plan and the budget
What the 5% pays for: our production insurance across the whole shoot, £10m public liability included, and the contingency.
Not sure which you need? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote.
On the day
A day with a playback operator, call to wrap
A product launch on stage at Bristol Beacon, on three cameras, with the brand team watching in a side room and head office on a stream from abroad. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:30 Into the venue Kit in through the venue’s get-in; video village set up in a side room off the auditorium.
- 08:30 Cameras in Transmitters on all three cameras, receivers paired, the feed checked on every monitor.
- 10:00 Rehearsal The run-through recorded, so the speakers can watch themselves back before the doors open.
- 12:00 Notes Two moments from the rehearsal replayed side by side for the director and the client, and the camera plan changed to suit.
- 13:30 Stream check The link to head office tested with them, picture and sound, half an hour before they join.
- 14:00 The launch Three cameras live to the side room and the stream; every camera recorded, the best moments logged as they happen.
- 16:00 Selects The logged moments sent to the editor as a list, so the social clips can start before the get-out.
- 18:00 Wrap The playback log and the recordings handed to the producer; video village struck.
Which kind
Which playback do you need?
From a monitor and a transmitter to QTake with viewers in another country.
Director’s monitor One screen, set up by camera
Wireless video from the camera to a director’s monitor, set up by the camera team. Films at 59 hires monitors and wireless video in Clifton and at The Bottle Yard if the crew don’t bring their own.
Best for small crews where only the director needs to watch.
Playback operator Video village for the agency From £334 a day
A dedicated operator with monitors, recording and instant replay for everyone at video village.
Best for adverts and brand films with an agency or a client on set.
QTake Logged, replayed, keyed Kit on its own line
The playback software most commercials and dramas run on: every take logged and replayable, looks applied, rough comps and a secure stream for remote viewers. The operator usually brings the system, priced on its own line.
Best for commercials, drama and VFX, such as a day in The Bottle Yard’s green screen studio.
Remote viewing A stream for people off set
A secure stream of the camera feed to people who can’t be on set, a few seconds behind it. VI Rental, at The Bottle Yard, hires live-streaming packages and portable galleries.
Best for overseas clients and head offices that can’t send anyone to Bristol.
What it’s for
What people book video playback for in Bristol
Adverts with an agency on set
Video village for the agency and the client on The Bottle Yard’s stages, at Whitchurch Lane and Hawkfield Way.
Green screen and VFX
A rough comp on set in The Bottle Yard’s green screen studio, or on the smaller green screens at Qu Studios in Bedminster and Floating Harbour Studios on Welsh Back.
Events and live sessions
The stage on the client’s monitors in a side room at Bristol Beacon, which hires out spaces for 2 to 2,000.
Clients watching from abroad
A stream to a head office in another country, timed for their working day.
Drama-style brand films
Takes compared side by side in the places Bristol’s dramas use, from Redcliffe Caves to the streets of Clifton.
Recent work
Playback on our crews, and how we crew Bristol
Crew and production support · Alderley Edge, Manchester and Essendon · April 2025 to June 2026
Eight cameras, one monitor for the client
Truth or Padel for The Athletic, owned by The New York Times: a padel match with a question riding on every point, shot on eight cameras round a glass and mesh court. Every camera fed one monitor, so The Athletic’s team watched the match live as it was played, and the high angle went over a wireless video link so it could be checked from the ground. The pilot was on a private court in Alderley Edge, Cheshire; the June 2026 episodes in Manchester and at Essendon Country Club in Hertfordshire.
How we crew it · Bristol
Green screen at The Bottle Yard, checked before the strike
The Bottle Yard’s green screen studio, in Studio 8 at Whitchurch Lane, is 5,000 sq ft, with an infinity cove and a removable green floor. With a playback operator on the day, each take is keyed roughly over the background plate as it’s shot, so the director, the agency and whoever does the VFX know the shot works before the set comes down. Bristol has fewer playback operators than camera crew, so when we need one we bring them from across the South West, Cardiff or London, with the system and the travel on the quote before anything is booked.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 11 hours, including an hour for lunch.
- Overtime at card rates, agreed with you before it happens.
- Video village is rigged before crew call, so it’s ready when the cameras are.
Kit and the stream
- The playback kit has its own line: QTake, monitors and transmitters.
- For remote viewing the location needs a solid connection. Bristol Beacon offers fast internet for live broadcast and streaming, without a satellite truck; in most venues and offices we ask for a wired line before the day, and test it.
Filming in Bristol
- Bristol Film Office asks for at least £5m public liability and a full risk assessment with every application.
- Filming on council land needs at least seven days’ notice, and a letter to neighbours and businesses seven days before the shoot (checked October 2026).
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the operator.
- 50% by card when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, kit, travel.
- Moving the date? Tell us as soon as you know.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
What our insurance covers
- Employers’ liability for the operator we book: £10m.
- Kit we hire in for you is insured. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
- Nothing else on a crew hire. Public liability, the location and your own kit stay with you, and your venue will want your certificate. When we’re the producer of record, our policy covers the shoot.
£334 a day
APA/Bectu card: £334–518 a day, video operator to senior video operator.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £334 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £33.40 |
| Insurance, 2% | £6.68 |
| One day, before kit and travel | £374.08 |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the operator we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the operator.
- 50% by card at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
- Every line on the quote before anything is booked
Or call us on 07412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a video playback operator in Bristol.
Tell us how many cameras and monitors, who needs to watch, and from where. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in Bristol, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Bristol, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From £500
- Producer From £450
- Production manager £504–627
- 2nd AD £355–448
- Production assistant £400
- Runner £245
Camera 07
- DOP From £850
- Camera operator £529–656
- Focus puller £461–575
- Clapper loader £355–448
- Steadicam operator From £950
- Gimbal operator £529–656
- Drone operator From £750
Data and playback 02
- DIT £527
- Video playback This page £334–518
Sound 01
- Sound recordist £550
Hair, make-up and costume 02
- Hair and make-up £398
- Costume £519–694
Art department 02
- Art director £675–878
- Set builders £341–512
Post-production 01
- Editor From £350
How our rates work: crew rates in Bristol. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Bristol.
Production support
Everything around the crew
Playback leans on the venue: power, a room for video village and a connection for anyone watching remotely. The Bristol guides cover the rest of the shoot, from kit to permits.
02
Locations and permits
Bristol Film Office, Bath Film Office, the harbour, the bridge and the drone rules.
03
Studios and set builds
The Bottle Yard’s stages, green screen and blackout studios, and set builds.
Questions
Hiring a video playback operator in Bristol: questions
How much does a video playback operator cost in Bristol?
The APA/Bectu card puts a video operator at £334–518 for an 11-hour day, from video operator to senior video operator, and we pay the operator in full. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £374.08 + VAT. The playback kit is on its own line, and so is any travel from outside Bristol.
What does the insurance on a crew booking cover?
Two things. Employers’ liability for every crew member we book, up to £10m, and insurance on the kit we hire in for you. That’s what the 2% pays for. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote. The 2% doesn’t insure the rest of the shoot: public liability, the location, your own kit and anything you book yourself stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production, and our insurance covers the whole shoot, public liability included.
What is QTake?
The playback software most commercials and dramas run on. It records and logs every take, plays any of them back at once, applies the look, does rough comps and streams the picture to remote viewers. The operator usually brings it, priced with the rest of the playback kit.
Can our team abroad watch the Bristol shoot live?
Yes, on a secure stream from the playback system, a few seconds behind the set. We agree which set-ups they need live and time them for their working day, test the link with them before they join, and log the selects for anything they miss. Bristol Beacon offers fast internet for live broadcast and streaming, without a satellite truck; elsewhere we book a wired line.
Do I need a playback operator?
If only the director needs to watch, a transmitter and a monitor from the camera team is enough. If an agency or a client is on set, or watching from another office or another country, book an operator.
Is there a green screen studio in Bristol?
Several. The Bottle Yard Studios in Whitchurch has a 5,000 sq ft green screen studio in Studio 8, with an infinity cove and a removable green floor. Smaller: Qu Studios in Bedminster has a pre-lit, sound-treated green screen cove 3.5 metres square, from £275 a half day, and The Hold at Floating Harbour Studios, a 1905 Dutch barge on Welsh Back, is a 90 square metre black box with green screen, £350 for a weekday (checked October 2026). If we book the studio, it goes on the quote as its own line.
Can you set up playback at Bristol Beacon or the Dockyards?
Yes. Video village needs power, a room or a corner off the floor, and a way in for the kit. Bristol Beacon hires out spaces for 2 to 2,000 and has fast internet for streaming; Bristol Dockyards has power and Wi-Fi on site. We send the venue the crew names and the kit list early, and ask for a wired line if anyone’s watching remotely.
How far ahead should I book playback in Bristol?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. The date usually depends on the rest of the shoot: the studio, the agency’s diary and the location’s permission. Bristol Film Office asks for at least seven days’ notice and a letter to neighbours and businesses seven days before the shoot; a road closure of up to two days needs two weeks, and one of three days or more usually eight to ten weeks (checked October 2026). For QTake and remote viewing, leave time to test the kit and the stream with the people watching.
Are your playback operators local to Bristol?
We’re a crew agency with 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, 150+ of them in and around Bristol and Bath, so we can scale a crew from one person for a morning to a full unit for a week. Local crew first. When a shoot needs more hands, or a role Bristol is short of that week, we bring them in from across the South West, Cardiff or London, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. A QTake operator usually travels with their own system, and it goes on the quote with them.